Federal Arts Updates

Capitol Rotunda photo by Laura Guzmán2018 NEA Appropriations Request While Congress may not eliminate the NEA’s funding, the NEA was required to submit a zeroed-out 2018 appropriations request as part of the administration’s request to eliminate funding for the agency. See the appropriations request here.

This appropriations request zeroes out all program support and allocates $29 million for costs of closing the agency. Advocacy efforts continue asking for continued funding of the NEA for 2018 at a level of $155 million. The 2018 appropriations document includes useful information about the NEA’s accomplishments over the last two years that may prove useful to shape your case for support.

The “American Arts Revival Act of 2017” Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (D-NY-12) recently introduced the American Arts Revival Act of 2017. This legislation will amend the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965 and modify Section 428K, which outlines career paths that are “in the national interest” and qualify for loan forgiveness. This Act would grant loan forgiveness to a variety of cultural and artistic professionals whose positions are deemed in “the national interest,” and therefore qualifying for up to $10,000 of loan forgiveness distributed by $2,000/year for a maximum period of 5 years.

Eligibility is limited to cultural workers who are employed full-time in the performing, visual or musical arts, and museum professional employed full-time by a museum in the capacity of business manager, curator, educator, conservator, guide, or exhibit designer.

This legislation aims to expand access to those individuals in the arts and recognizes its value to millions across the country. The American Arts Revival Act of 2017 helps reduce the massive amount of student loan debt felt by millions of young adults while concurrently encourages participation in the arts- which is scientifically proven to benefit the lives of those who engage.

Leahy's Artist-Museum Partnership Act of 2017 Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) recently introduced the Leahy Artist-Museum Partnership Act of 2017 that would grant tax deductions to artists equal to the fair market value of their work that they donate to museums. Under current law, artists are only able to deduct the cost of materials used, while collectors can deduct the work's fair market value. This bill would eliminate that discrepancy. The Artist-Museum Partnership Act of 2017 was also introduced in the House of Representatives earlier this year by Representative John Lewis (D-Ga.).